In recent weeks a long-standing
dispute between the American Printing House for the Blind and its corps of
professional readers has come into the open. The readers, who in 1998 affiliated
with AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists of the
AFL-CIO), have sought to negotiate for a new contract. According to the readers,
the federal government issued three unfair labor practice complaints against
APH during the collective bargaining process. Now APH has apparently refused
altogether to deal with the union representative, arguing that Kentucky is
a right-to-work state, so the Printing House is not required to recognize
the union.

The readers say that
APH actually jeopardized its contract with the National Library Service and
its entire recording program by threatening a lockout during negotiations.
The readers request that those supportive of their position write to Dr. Tuck
Tinsley to express their support for the readers and their eagerness for APH
to negotiate in good faith with the union to achieve fair wages, even for
part-time readers, and reasonable benefits. The contact information is Dr.
Tuck Tinsley, President, American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort
Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085, Phone: (502) 895-2405, Fax: (502)
899-2334.

Mark Riccobono, President
of the NFB of Wisconsin, reports that on April 8, 2000, the twenty-fifth anniversary
of the organizing of the Wisconsin affiliate, the Chippewa Valley Chapter
of the NFB of Wisconsin was founded. The elected leaders of this new and energetic
chapter are Lisa Hansen, President; Brad Hodges, Vice President; Brenda Cox,
Secretary; and Joe Regnier, Treasurer. Congratulations to this new chapter.

Wedding Bells:

On May 27, 2000, Allison
Scheuermann, Assistant to the President of the National Federation of the
Blind, and Charles Joyce were married in Baltimore. A week later Lynn Mattioli,
Past President of the Baltimore Chapter, and Michael Baillif, a tax attorney
with Ernst and Young in Washington, D.C., were also married in Baltimore.
Those who attended the ceremonies report that both were lovely services and
great parties. We congratulate both couples and wish them all joy.

Position Available:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

A prominent non-profit
social service agency based in the southwestern Ohio area seeks an experienced
professional to direct and manage the agency. The mission of the agency is
to promote independence and foster the highest quality of life for people
with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities. The agency
provides comprehensive rehabilitation services including training and support
for independent living, orientation and mobility instruction, vocational training,
job placement, counseling, recreation, and youth services. The position of
President reports to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the agency and its staff.

Long-time Executive Director
of the Jewish Braille Institute and close friend of Dr. Jacobus tenBroek,
Dr. Jacob Freid died on May 1, 2000. The obituary published in the New York
Times edition of May 2, 2000, reads as follows:

The Jewish Braille Institute
of America records with sorrow the passing of our Executive Director Emeritus,
whose professional leadership guided the Institute for more than a quarter
of a century until his retirement in 1979. In the ensuing years he remained
as the deeply respected editor of the Jewish Braille Review and JBI Voice,
the Institute's magazines for the blind and visually impaired world-wide.
His love of Israel, dedication to blind people everywhere, and intellectual
stature will long be remembered and cherished. May his memory serve as a blessing.

Elected:

April 10, 2000, was the
date of the Chicago chapter's annual election. Those serving as officers for
the coming year are Steve Hastalis, President; Debbie Stein, First Vice President;
Brian Johnson, Second Vice President; Kelly Doty, Secretary; and Kate Mayer,
Treasurer. The Board Members are Tom Elkins, Pam Gillmore, Pam Provost, and
Anthony Thomas.

Audio Guide on Student
Aid Available:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

The 2000-2001 Student
Aid Guide, available from the United States Department of Education, is available
on cassette and on compact disc.

Intended for visually
impaired students and their parents, the audio guide uses a simulated telephone
conversation between a counselor and a student to provide information on post-secondary
student financial aid. Students and organizations may request free copies
of the audio guide (either cassette or compact disc) by calling (800) 433-3243.

Appointed:

We recently learned that
Chris Boone, a long-time Federationist who has been living and working in
Pennsylvania for several years, has been named Director of the Pennsylvania
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, the state's agency for the blind.
She began the job Monday, June 19. We wish Chris good luck in her new assignment.

Correction:

Chris Weaver points out
that we misspelled the name of a very helpful member of his team in the article,
"New Computer Programs to Assist Blind Mathematicians." It was Kelly
Burma who made significant contributions to development of the mathematics
programs developed at the University of New Mexico. The Braille Monitor regrets
the error.

Future Reflections
Now Available by E-Mail:

Barbara Cheadle, Editor
of the quarterly magazine of the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children, reports this important information. Here is how to subscribe: send
an e-mail message to <listserv@nfbcal.org>. The message should contain
one line of text. Here is an example using Cheadle's first and last names--you
of course use your own name to subscribe. "subscribe future reflections
barbara cheadle." You will receive a confirmation message and the most
current issue, which right now is volume 19, number 1, but may be number 2
by the time this issue of the Braille Monitor goes to press.

E-mail Without a Computer:

The National Federation
of the Blind has entered into a relationship with a company called CrossMedia
Networks Corporation. It has a service through which you can send and receive
e-mail using a standard touch-tone telephone. You control the system with
your voice and without a computer. You can also control the speed and pitch
of the voice used to read your e-mail and sort and manage it in many ways.

This service, called
MyInBox, can be your primary e-mail account; or a copy of the e-mail you send
and receive through another Internet Service Provider can be sent to MyInBox
so that you can read and respond to your e-mail when a computer is not available.
The cost of the service is $7.95 per month. Use is unlimited if you call the
service using an access number in the 703 area code. You can access the service
through a toll-free number for thirty minutes at no additional charge. There
is a one-time set-up fee of $5. CrossMedia will donate a portion of your monthly
subscription fee to the Federation.

To sign up for this
service, you will need to provide the following information:

*Your current e-mail
address if you have one.

*Name, address, and phone
number.

*A seven-digit account
code and a four-digit pass code that you will use to access your e-mail. We
recommend your current phone number or other easy-to-remember phone number
for your account code.

*Promotion code (NFB)
and a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). If you have
a current e-mail address, you will also need to provide it and the password
you use when accessing your e-mail so that a copy of messages can be received
into MyInBox voice e-mail service. This information will remain confidential.

For more information
or to sign up for this service, please call CrossMedia Customer Service at
(877) 726-7877. Customer Service will assist you to sign up for MyInBox. If
you mention the promotion code "NFB" to the Customer Service representative,
the first thirty days of service will be free.

CrossMedia gives you
an address book to hold the e-mail addresses of people with whom you wish
to communicate. Ordinarily a person would make changes to this address book
through the Internet. If, however, you don't have access to the Internet,
you can have CrossMedia's Customer Service representatives make the changes
for you--at $2 per call.

To hear a demonstration
of CrossMedia's MyInBox service, you can call (877) 246-3366.

Western Pennsylvania
School for the Blind Reunion:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

The Alumni Association
of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children will be holding its
biennial convention the weekend of August 4, 5, and 6 on the school campus.

The cost for the entire
weekend, including dues, will be $56; for those who wish to attend only the
banquet, the cost is $26. Come and have a terrific time getting re-acquainted
with old friends.

The deadline for registration
is July 15. To learn more or to make your reservations for the 2000 convention,
contact Louise Flannigan, President, WPSBC Alumni Association, 1348 Beverly
Road, Port Vue, Pennsylvania 15133, or call 412-672-7405

Elected:

The Central Delaware
Chapter of the NFB of Delaware elected new officers at its March 18 meeting.
They are Debbie Briddell, President; Addie C. Pack, Vice President; and Doris
Blake, Secretary/Treasurer.

Hoping to Buy:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

If you have an Optacon
that you are willing to sell, please contact Konnie Ellis at 605-393-9512,
or e-mail <Konnie@hills.net>.

Organizational Products
for Sale:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

HandiWorks, a company
specializing in organizational products, announces the availability of its
catalog, which includes cane holders of different styles, dog guide sleeves,
signs for dog guide users who do not want their dogs petted while in harness,
and organizational fanny packs and wallets.

We are deeply sorry to
report the death of Donovan Cooper on Saturday, June 3, 2000. Donovan was
at his Los Angeles area home with his wife Trudy when he suffered a heart
attack. Donovan served as an officer and member of the Board of Directors
of the NFB of California and was also a leader in the Diabetes Action Network,
where he served terms as President at both the state and national levels.
Donovan delivered a moving speech at the 1990 National Convention in which
he described his job and credited Dr. Jernigan, the NFB, and the blindness
training he received in Iowa for turning his life around. Donovan Cooper was
a wise and generous leader of the NFB, and he will be deeply missed. We all
join in expressing our sympathy to Trudy and the other members of Donovan's
family.

Read Your Bank Statements
and Bills Yourself:

We have been asked to
carry the following announcement:

Do you want to manage
your financial affairs privately? Tell your bank and utility, credit card,
and investment companies about Accessible Braille Services (ABS), a division
of Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB).

Using advanced technology,
ABS accepts transmitted data and printed bills and statements from companies
so blind and visually impaired customers can read their monthly financial
mail in Braille or large print. Most companies do not charge customers for
this service.

MAB is a private, non-profit
United Way agency in Charlotte, North Carolina, that has delivered local rehabilitation
services to people who are blind and visually impaired since 1934. The agency's
ABS division also produces Braille and large-print textbooks for schools throughout
the United States and in several foreign countries.

Companies can learn more
about ABS at MAB's Web site, <www.mab-jlbm.com> or by calling (704)
887-5101.

Shrinkwrap Computer Products
announces the availability of the Road Runner Talking Bible Edition. The Talking
Bible is a completely self-contained device about the size of an audio cassette.
It contains the complete indexed text of the Bible. Using synthetic speech,
you can navigate through the Bible by Testament, book, chapter, verse, and
line. Buttons are provided for each of these functions. The Talking Bible
will run for many weeks on two AA batteries. You listen to it through any
Walkman-style headphones or with an external speaker. The Talking Bible does
not require the use of a computer.

The Talking Bible comes
in four versions: King James, American Standard, New American Standard, and
New International Version. The package includes the Bible handheld unit, an
initial set of batteries, and taped instructions. You can hear a demonstration
of the Talking Bible in Real Audio at <http://www.readingmachines.com>.
The Road Runner Talking Bible costs $199 plus shipping and is available prepaid
from ShrinkWrap Computer Products, 11706 Saddle Crescent Circle, Oakton, Virginia
22124-2342, phone: (800) 377-0774. Send e-mail to <Bible@Shrinknet.com>.

NFB PLEDGE

I pledge to participate
actively in the effort of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve
equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies
and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.